Frequently-Asked Questions
| Technical | Functional |TECHNICAL
Q: Is your software Year 2000 and leap year compliant?
A: Yes, ADVANTAGE 5.0 handles both the four-digit year, and the leap year properly. We urge all of our clients, however, to test and verify that all of their hardware, networking systems, and other software operating systems and applications are also compliant.
Q: Is your application an "open system"?
A: Yes. We use a Microsoft standard interface, allowing the user to work with familiar Microsoft Office products such as Word, Excel, Access, etc. A data exchange facility is available as well.
Q: Is this a distributed application?
A: Currently the application resides on the "client" however we are moving to a distributed environment using "Com" objects. The data may reside on any database server with appropriate ODBC or ADO connection. We have a browser-based client in development.
Q: What are the minimum hardware requirements?
A: The minimum requirements are a Pentium 100, 24mb ram, high-resolution monitor and adequate hard drive space to maintain historical data. With hardware costs coming down, we do recommend a faster processor for scheduling and analysis results in seconds.
Q: What is the database engine?
A: We currently offer an industry-standard database that is robust, scalable, and does not require a database manager. We are working toward database independence with an interface to Oracle or MS Sequel Server by second quarter, 1999.
Q: We want a totally integrated system of data management. Can you offer that?
A: Through partnerships with other vendors, we can provide a completely integrated system. For example, we are in the process of building a link to SAP's K-12 Human Resource System to share staffing data. We can build similar links to school food service and transportation packages for example.
Q: We don't want to have to work with multiple vendors, and we have a lot of questions. Can you offer complete consulting and implementation services?
A: Through our implementation partner, we can offer full consulting and implementation services. The team is experienced in large-scale implementation, moving from legacy systems, and easing the transition to new applications. Our implementation partners are experienced SAP implementers who understand the inter-relationships of students, staff and financial resources in K-12.
Q: We are setting up a WAN. Can your application deploy in that environment?
A: We will work with you to take advantage of your WAN environment, typically using T1 lines. We also have a browser-based client in development that will offer an additional option for users.
FUNCTIONAL
Q: Can I keep historical data?
A: You can keep full, detailed, historical data with ADVANTAGE 5.0. Storage requirements are minimal and hard drive space continues to decrease in price allowing most users to store historical data, archiving or purging it after a number of years.
Q: We are under a lot of pressure to measure results. How does ADVANTAGE 5.0 help us with that?
A: ADVANTAGE 5.0 captures complete historical data on achievement, standards, attendance, discipline, grades, etc. and allows that data to be viewed by disaggregated group. Thus you can monitor any category of student information by gender, school, grade, ethnicity, program participation, etc. The data is always available to the user for reporting and analysis. ADVANTAGE 5.0 also provides a "school profile" report with user-selected categories of achievement, attendance and discipline and can provide a "staff resource' report and an achievement analysis report by staff characteristics such as degree and teaching experience.
Q: We have state-wide "standards for learning" on which we will be evaluated. How can I use ADVANTAGE 5.0 to monitor how we are doing?
A: All required standards can be input to the ADVANTAGE 5.0 achievement table. Enter pre-test, re-test and post-test scores and student gains will automatically be calculated. You can assign a designation and level to each score. Report on within-year gains or year-to-year gains on a student or on a demographic group. View students' gain by level or see students who have moved to a new designation. AND, analyze gains by the instructional strategy that was used to teach the standard! You can also analyze standards gains and/or mastery by program participation for true program evaluation.
Q: What are "Quick Queries"? I don't have the staff or training time to learn how to write queries and create reports.
A: Quick Queries are pre-defined, comprehensive queries that provide quick "point and click" analysis on a wide range of student information. From one user screen, you can select a school, a grade, an ethnic group, etc. for analysis. Then choose a topic such as attendance, discipline, test scores, standards, etc. Select a report option and execute! NO SQL queries to write but a wealth of information for targeting your resources on the students that need them most.
Q: "Quick Queries" sound good for most of my users but what about my research and evaluation department. I know we will need other kinds or reports and analysis. Are we limited to just what is on the reports menu?
A: No. Since ADVANTAGE 5.0 is an open system, your users can access the data for use with their preferred reporting and analysis tools. In addition, we can provide a statistical analysis module and a complete graphing module upon request that provide the full range of statistical processes and complex 2-D and 3-D charts and graphs.
Q: What about charts?
A: ADVANTAGE 5.0 will provide a range of graphical presentations of report data which can be edited by the user. In addition, a full graphing module is available.
Q: Are your grading and scheduling modules really flexible?
A: Yes. Choose from a broad array of grading and scheduling options. Schedule any number of periods, block, summer session, rotating periods, etc. Choose letter or numeric grades, multiple GPA's and weighted courses.
Q: How do you deal with walk-in scheduling?
A: Simply point and click to enter the student requests and click to apply the requests. Any classes that cannot be scheduled are noted with a reason code. Simply re-select, apply and complete the student's schedule.
Q: Do you have a "Master Schedule Builder"?
A: We feel we utilize the most efficient process for using the knowledge of the school administrator to build the master schedule. Set up the classes and parameters and load the student requests. Quickly assign teachers, sections and rooms while monitoring ongoing loads, balances and conflicts on-screen. Store one master schedule and try another until you get the best results. Apply your choice to the student requests and complete scheduling of an average high school in seconds.
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